Despite the State Forest Department’s training programme for the Railway staff to prevent death of Asiatic lions near Gir Sanctuary, one more lion was run over by a speeding train on Sunday morning near Pipavav Port in Amreli district.
The Forest Department has confirmed that a seven-month-old lion cub was run over by goods train near Bherai village of Rajula tehsil. The village is hardly 35-40 km from the Gir forest, the only abode of Asiatic lions.
Nearly two months back, three lions were reportedly mowed down by Pipavav bound trains on the same railway track. This is the fourth incident in three months. Earlier in February, two lionesses and a two-year-old cub were killed. To curb such incidents, the State Forest Department had conducted a workshop for railway drivers and guards on how to be precautious when trains pass through lion sensitive areas.
“We trained nearly 80 railway employees on how to track lions and observe the movements of lions in the area. To prevent such incidents, quite often trains were slowed down when lions crossed the railway track. We are also in contact with Railway Divisional Manager in Bhavnagar in order to take some long term measure,” said Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), CN Pandey. According to Pandey, the forest department will further enhance vigil on 45 km-long railway track passing through lion-sensitive area following the latest incident.
The Pipavav Railway Corporation limited (PRCl) was also asked to reduce the speed of the goods trains from Rajula to Pipavav, the area where more than 50 lions live permanently for the past few years. PRCl is the 50:50 Joint Venture of the Indian Railways and the Gujarat Pipavav Port ltd (GPPl). Pipavav port is hardly 40 km from the Gir Sanctuary.
Due to the State Forest Department’s efforts, unnatural death of rare breed of Asiatic lions almost stopped over the past 15 years despite a railway line passing through the Gir Sanctuary, but death of four lions in the past three months has created a shock wave among the wildlife lovers.
last time when lion census was conducted in 2010, encouraging facts came out as the lion population was 411 that include 97 males, 162 females and 152 cubs. If sources in the forest department are to be believed, the population of the Asiatic lions has already crossed 500 in four years which has led to lions straying outside the forest area in search of new territories.